Sunday, December 24, 2017 27 Maunakea road crew After 32 years working on Maunakea, Tracy Miyashiro knows the access road like the back of his hand. From the Hale Pohaku mid-level facilities, the road snakes its way up the mountain, gaining more than 4,000 feet in elevation and covering 8.5 miles before it reaches the observatories atop. About half is unpaved, and it’s up to Miyashiro and other road maintenance operators with the Office of Maunakea Support Services to keep it open. That means grading it several times a week and removing snow in the winter, on slopes that range from 10 percent to 15 percent. “It’s challenging up here just dealing with the weather,” said Miyashiro, of Hilo. Then there’s the lower oxygen levels, an issue anyone working on the mountain has to face. He said the altitude doesn’t bother him much anymore, though he’s learned it’s best to pace himself. In their baseyard just above Hale Pohaku, sits the only snowplow in the state. Miyashiro said he did some snow removal while in the U.S. Army, but none of that compares to the hazards of Maunakea. “Safety is a big concern,” he said. “Because if something happens with us it’s just us up there. We have to rely on each other to make sure everybody is safe.” Miyashiro said they see a major snow storm every 10 years or so, with the worst occurring in 1991. That was when 14 feet of snow covered what’s known as Goodrich Pass, not far below the summit. “We had a D-9 dozer pushing snow, we got tracks on it, and the thing just started sliding and you ain’t stopping 80,000 pounds,” Miyashiro said. “You ain’t stopping that until you hit something. So that was a learning experience.” If the grader starts sliding because of icy conditions, he said the best thing to do is to get in a higher gear so the tires can catch up. “You lift the blade up, you get it up to speed with the ground,” Miyashiro said, “and kind of hopefully from there try to slow it down. That’s the best thing you can do.” According to MKSS, the road costs about $550,000 a year to maintain, plus another $125,000 for removing snow. Costs are covered by the observatories. But it’s not just telescopes that benefit. In 2016, 35,511 vehicles went up the mountain, according to MKSS. Of that, 13,396, or about 37 percent, belonged to observatory crews or permitted tours. The rest was attributed to the general public. The utilities division, which he works for, also is responsible for maintaining about 30 vehicles and the Hale Pohaku mid-level facilities, where telescope workers eat and sleep. “It’s definitely a full plate around here,” said Alika Toledo, utilities and maintenance supervisor. “We try to do as much as we can ourselves.” One project is adding more ice detectors along the road, which would be used to update the Maunakea Weather Center website. Toledo said that would give the public a better sense of conditions before they head up. Toledo, a Hilo resident and former operating engineer, said he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “I was born and raised here,” he said. “I grew up hunting on this mountain. It’s definitely a special place to be.” By TOM CALLIS Hawaii Tribune-Herald The young woman says yes and points to a water pack she’s carrying. “OK, OK, good,” Paiva responded, before warning them about the weather. It was sunny at the time, but that can change, he told them. “Some clouds might be coming in soon so just keep an eye on the weather,” Paiva said, “because you don’t have very heavy clothes, it might get cold later on if it gets cloudy, misty and windy.” The hikers carry on and Paiva puts his vehicle back in gear. Those contacts occur several times a day, he said, noting he’s seen more hikers, and even the occasional jogger, over the years. While he was growing up, Paiva said he spent most of his time on the mountain hunting. Out of respect for the place, he said he was raised not to see it as somewhere to play or “holoholo.” “If you didn’t have a reason to come up here you don’t come up here,” Paiva said his parents told him. “You don’t come up here to play; this isn’t a recreation area. You come up for some kind of business.” Making sure visitors have the least impact to the mountain is part of the job. While driving more than 10,000 feet above sea level, he points off to the left side of the road, where remnants of a Hawaiian adze quarry can be seen. The rocks, hardened by lava contacting glaciers during the last ice age, were prized for tool making. Paiva said a ranger once caught people carrying adze chips out in backpacks. “We reported it to DOCARE and they made a case,” he said, referring to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ enforcement division. “One guy dropped what he had and left it.” Cases of bad behavior are rare, Pavia said. Sometimes people do things they don’t know are wrong or offensive. He referred to one incident where a couple people were found kayaking on Lake Waiau, a sacred spot to Hawaiians. A ranger saw the vehicle driving up with the kayak, only to find it parked at a trail head without it. “So he walks in and they’re on the lake,” Paiva said. “So, again, we’re the eyes and ears of DOCARE.” At the summit, rangers will check on the observatories and Hawaiian shrines in the area, and ask visitors to not walk up Pu‘u Wekiu, Maunakea’s tallest point and another spot used by Hawaiian religious practitioners. When snow falls on Maunakea, rangers are up at 3 a.m. to do their weather checks, Paiva said, and are on the mountain before sunrise. Once the road is free of snow and ice, they will open it to the public. Pickup trucks full of snow and boogie boards as stand-ins for sleds become a common site. Paiva said the rangers don’t stop people from playing in the snow. But they try to warn of the dangers of sledding down the cinder cones. “You know how you gonna stop? Lava rocks,” he said. Overall, Paiva said he enjoys most working with people of all types and backgrounds who use the mountain, from astronomers to the many visitors with which he interacts. The view also is hard to beat. “It’s beautiful up here,” he said. “I get a neat kind of inner peace when I’m up here.” Paiva adds, “We’re here for everyone. Everyone who comes up is our guest.” Alika Toledo Maunakea Support Services utilities and maintenance supervisor RANGERS From page 26 Alika Toledo and Tracy Miyashiro change the tire on a road grader in September at Hale Pohaku on Maunakea. HOLLYN JOHNSON/ Tribune-Herald Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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